Luck
by KaylaCandy16
Summary: What if the odds had been in Katniss's favor the day of the reaping? How would things have been different if Prim's name hadn't been drawn? Would Peeta have the guts to talk to Katniss? Would she end up being with Gale if the choice was hers?
1. Chocolate

**Hey guys im not very experienced writing fanfiction so please tell me what you think, and help me if im doing something wrong! (: This idea came to me when I thought how Katniss would live in district 12 if she had better luck. I don't know if I'll continue, I guess it depends on how people react. If you have any advice, please message me! I need all the help I can get =P Hope you like it though!**

_**I don't own the Hunger Games or anything affiliated with it, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.**_

Luck: Chapter 1

(This picks up on page 28) _Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it's not me. _

Delly Cartwright makes a loud whimpering noise and makes her way to the stage, hiding behind her yellow hair. I feel bad for a moment because Delly is probably the nicest person in district 12 but then i'm filled with relief that it isn't going to be me or Prim going into the games. As she stands in front of the crowd, Haymitch comes over and clamps a hand on her shoulder to keep himself steady.

'It's time to choose our boy tribute!" Effie says happily, reaching into the ball with the boys name and pulling out a slip. To my relief, it's a boy from the seam named Tron that I barely know of. I just want this to be over with so for the rest of the reaping I stand quietly.

Once the drawing is over, we all head home to "celebrate". Prim and I gather our dinner and set it out on the table. As we eat, we talk about small things like what Prim is learning in school and how Hazelle, Gale's mother is doing. After dinner we all sit by the fireplace to relax. A couple minutes later theres a knock on the door. Prim gets up to answer it and comes back seconds later, looking confused.

"Katniss, someone's at the door for you." Prim says though it sounds more like a question.

Going to the front of the house, I see none other than Peeta Mallark standing in the doorway. I don't know what the boy with the bread was at my house for, but it reminds me how thankful I am for the favor he did for me years ago.

"Hi" he smiles slightly, looking shy.

"Hey" I said back, a little confused as this is the first time I've actually spoken to him and I want to say thank you but I don't know how.

"Happy hunger games" he says in a slightly sarcastic tone, mocking the capitol but smiles again and holds something out to me. Taking it in my hand and looking it over, it seems to be a big rectangle of something covered in brown paper.

"What is it?" I ask, curiously flipping it over in my hands.

"A chocolate bar" he says back, and looks at my face, as if looking for approval.

"Oh." I said, surprised. This must have cost him a lot of money at the sweet shop and I can't understand why he would buy it for me. "Why?" I ask, looking up from the chocolate and into his eyes.

"What do you mean?" He questions.  
"Why are you giving this to me?" I say, trying not to sound rude. But anger overtakes me as I think about the implications following it. "You think you need to buy me food because I'm poor? I don't need your pity!" I say, anger seeping into my voice.

"That's not it!" he sounds surprised.

"I don't understand." I declare, staring at him.

"Never mind." He says, and begins walking away.

"Peeta!" I shout when he gets further away. He turns back and looks at me. "Thank you." I say, adding the gratefulness into my voice not just for this gift but also for the gift he gave me 5 years ago. He nods his head slightly and continues to walk away.

I shut the door softly and come back into the house to join Prim and my mother.

"What is it?" my mom asks when I sit back down into the room. I quietly hand her the bar of chocolate. "Wow." My mom says, surprised and looks at me expectantly. She wants to know how I got it.

"I don't know why but Peeta just gave it to me." I say.

"Peeta? The baker's son?" my mom asks, smiling.

"Yeah"

"Somebody's smitten." My mom says happily and begins peeling off the brown paper.

There are 14 smaller rectangles making up the big one and we slowly each eat a piece. I put a few pieces in a handkerchief to give to Gale tomorrow, knowing his smaller siblings have never had chocolate before. We put the rest away and say our goodnights, going to bed with a sweet taste in our mouths.


	2. Lunch

_**I don't own the Hunger Games or anything affiliated with it, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.**_

Luck: Chapter 2

I wake up next to Prim feeling happy. The only gifts I've ever gotten from anyone outside my family have been from Gale, and those have only been practical foods like loaves of bread. Though I am grateful for them, I've never gotten anything like what Peeta gave me before.

I quickly slip out of bed to visit Gale before its time for school. He greets me warmly and invites me inside. I sit down on the small sofa with him and we begin talking about the people who were named at the reaping yesterday. Gale gets angry quick at the subject so I quickly change it.

"I brought something for you." I said quietly, pulling out the small package of chocolate from my jacket pocket and handing it to him. "There is five pieces" I smiled as Vick walks out of the bedroom, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Hey" I said, hugging him lightly and turning back to Gale.

"Catnip" he said. "How did you get this? Did you trade something for it?"

"No" I said, embarrassed, looking away from him. "It was a present."

"From?" he continued questioningly

"Peeta Mallark. But anyways there's one for you, your mom, Vick, Posy and Rory." I said.

Gale was glaring at the chocolate like it was his enemy. "I don't want it. I don't want anything from one of your little admirers." He said rudely.

"One of my admirers?" I said, getting mad.

"He stares at you all the time in school, Katniss. He obviously likes and I don't want his food!" he shouts.

"Gale what's your problem?" Im shocked. Why is he so angry?  
"You're my problem." He says and stomps into the small bedroom in the house to mope.

Feeling dejected, I put the chocolate on the counter and leave. 

Madge and I sit together at lunch, not talking. She's brought some of the strawberries Gale and I sold her yesterday for lunch and while shes eating them, I think about what I will be forced to watch tonight, and wonder what the tributes will be dressed up in this year.

While im pondering that, I hear someone speaking loudly and my curiosity is piqued. To the right, 2 tables away, a boy my age, merchant class, is saying "Fine if you don't have the guts to talk to her, I will for you."

I turn my head to see whats going on, and see the merchant boy walking to our table.  
"Hey im Halon and your Katniss" He smiles extending a hand to me. I don't like him. His smile is cocky and annoying. I look past him to see a very embarrassed Peeta staring at me.

"Tell Peeta I said thank you again for the chocolate" I said simply and turn back to Madge.

Halon returns to his table and whispers something to Peeta, who gets wide eyed and flustered and shouts a loud "WHAT?" across the lunchroom. Halon is laughing very hard and trying but failing to hide it. I know Halon must have said I said something else as a joke. Not caring, I stop staring and see Madge is watching the whole thing with wide eyes.

"Hes coming over her" She says in an urgent whisper. Seconds later, Peeta stands next to me, a couple feet away.

"Im soo sorry, he shouldn't have asked you anything like that!" he says quickly.  
"What are you talking about?" I say feeling bad for him because he seems really flustered and sad. "He didn't ask me anything, I told him to thank you again for the chocolate."

"Oh" Peeta states simply, blushing now.

"What did you think he asked me?" I inquire.

"Nothing" he says, getting more embarrassed.

"Oh." I say back, dropping the subject.

"You can sit down, if you want?" I offer.

As he pulls up the chair and sits down next to me, I remember all of the things hes done for me, all the times i've caught him staring at me, what Gale was saying this morning and what Halon had just said. I understand now that Peeta has feelings for me and that maybe I could return them too. Gale would be mad but that's only because hes looking out for me like a brother would.

I look over at Peeta, as he engaged conversation with Madge now, and I stare at him. His soft blond hair seems to be growing out, its about halfway down his ears now and I know he will get it trimmed soon like he always does when it reaches that length. I don't know how I know this but maybe, over the years, ive been keeping better track of him than I thought. I look into those eyes, a deep blue ring encircling a lighter blue iris.

As I stare, I realize hes staring right back. I break

the gaze by coughing lightly and looking to the right, staring at the ground and trying to understand the strange, foreign, fluttery feeling I just got in my stomach.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of lectures about the dark days in history and coal mining techniques in another class. As Prim and I get back to our house I realize, with a sinking feeling in my gut, that Peeta and I could never be together. That I must be mistaken somehow because even if Peeta was stupid enough to develop feelings for a girl from the seam, his mother would never allow it. Merchant people stick with eachother and the seam kids do the same. My mom falling for my father and marrying him was a very rare incident. Peeta must just be using me to get to Madge, the mayors daughter. With that revelation, I make my way to the bedroom and lay down in bed even though its only four in the afternoon.

My mother and Prim check on me, making sure im alright and I have to tell them im fine because you can't use the "I think im sick" excuse when your moms a healer. I skip dinner that night and silently hold in tears until the sun sets and I finally fall asleep.


	3. Walk

**I wanted to make this chapter longer but it just seemed to end on its own. (: Hope its okay =\**

**Oh and thank you to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters! Means a lott to me!**

_**I don't own the Hunger Games or anything affiliated with it, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.**_

Luck: Chapter 3

When I woke the next morning, my mother told me that school was called off for the interviews tonight with Caesar Flickerman. I had missed the chariots last night but Prim said it was the usual coal miner outfits the tributes of our district wore. Without anything to do all day, I decide to take a walk around district twelve, not bothering to invite Gale incase he was still mad at me.

The day was overcast and cold so I grabbed my fathers jacket to wear and told Prim where I'd be incase she needed me.

After I walk about a mile, I realize that I've made my way to the bakery without even noticing. As I turn around and start walking back to my house, Peeta bursts out the front door of the shop.

"Katniss!" He shouts, chasing after me. "Hey!" he says, out of breath. "I was cleaning off the tables and saw you, I came out as soon as I could. How are you?" he asked me.

"Fine." I said briskly and started to walk away from him.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, sounding confused.

"Look maybe you should just go talk to Madge instead of buttering up her friends. You hurt people, Peeta, when you use them to get to someone else." I choke out.

"What? Madge? Katniss what are you talking about?"

I stop walking and turn around to face him. "Im talking about you using me to get to Madge!"

"Katniss I.."

"Just leave me alone Peeta!" I shout before he has time to finish.

He grabs my arm, stopping me from leaving him. "Never." He whispers and stares at me.

"I don't understand.." Im sure I look just as confused as I feel but I need to know why he is doing this.

"I know." He says simply, "You never do, I don't know why but you don't. You seem to be completely clueless and that makes it so much harder for me to explain it to you."

"Try." I say, "Try to explain it to me."

"I will but not here, its too cold. Can we go back to your house?" he asks.

For a moment I contemplate. I don't want Peeta at my house, its so small compared to his and I would be really embarrassed, but then I realize that he must already know how small my house is, he knows all about the seam and the coal-covered houses inside it. Suddenly I feel bad for thinking Peeta would be so shallow as to judge me because of my house as anyone else would. Though I barely know him, he is so much nicer than anyone would expect. So kind, kind enough to give me bread when I was starving and chocolate when I wasn't. To be a friend when I don't have many to speak of.

With these thoughts, I realize that I want Peeta at my house, I want him to tell me why he is so generous and why he makes me feel like I don't have to be so tough and defensive all the time.

"Sure" I say happily, giving him a smile, which, in itself is a miracle as I don't do that too often to people outside my family.

He seems just as happy as I am as he follows my lead and we walk away from his area of town and into mine, and I swear he must be brushing his hand against my own on purpose because there is no way you can accidentally do that four times.

Feeling brave, I grab his hand with mine and together we walk home through the cold air of noon.


	4. Boyfriend?

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I've had this chapter done for a while but hadn't put it on. Im not sure why I didn't but **_TheMockingjay'sBoyWithTheBread_**'s review reminded me that I should! **** Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really does mean a ton! **

_**I don't own the Hunger Games or anything affiliated with it, all rights go to Suzanne Collins.**_

Luck: Chapter 4

I slowly pushed the door to my small house open and dragged Peeta in behind me. My mother was on the couch sleeping and Prim was next to her, humming and braiding my mothers hair. My mother seems so weak. She says she is sick but how can you believe in a sickness that just makes you sleep all the time and mope around? If it was, it was something completely unheard of in district twelve. She called it "depression" but she is the first person I'd ever met with such an illness.

As our guest came into view, Prim gave me a strange look full of questions but I ignored them, giving her a light smile of reassurance and led Peeta into the bedroom, as it was the only room in the house sealed by a door aside from the bathroom.

I set myself on the edge of the bed, and Peeta joined, sitting beside me.

"So" I said awkwardly, "the explanation?"

"Katniss, im going to tell you the whole truth and I want you to promise not to say anything at all until im done explaining it." He said, grabbing my hand.

"I promise I won't interrupt" I said softly, staring at him.

He began, "On the first day of kindergarten, my father pointed you out to me. Apparently he had a thing for your mom back in the day and said that he almost married her. Because of that, I paid more attention to you on that first day than I would have if my father had never said anything. Later that day you sang for the class and it was beautiful, Katniss. Your voice was so beautiful. I'd like to say that's when my "crush" on you developed, but Katniss, what I feel for you is more than a crush. I know that's strange for me to say because I've only just talked to you the first time three days ago but its true. Im in love with you Katniss, I have been for about eleven years now. And I don't care if you don't say it back because even just being in your presence, sitting with you at lunch, walking to your home with you, its enough for me. I love you and I'll take whatever you give me."

I had never thought myself a romantic person, nor have I ever though of a future with a husband and children, I'd certainly never thought of my future with Peeta. That's why my reaction to what he said was so strange to me. My eyes welled up with this foreign feeling of… affection and, confused as I was, I acted on instinct and threw my arms around Peeta, hugging him to me as tightly as possible, realizing in the process that he was holding onto me just as tight.

I pulled my face away from Peeta's shoulder and looked up at him. He was looking at me with that same intensity he had in his eyes when he stared at me in school and finally, after all these years, I could figure out why he was staring at me and what it meant. He loved me. Slowly our faces came closer.

We were centimeters apart, I could feel his breath on my lips. We stayed there, wondering who would make the move first, who had the guts to do it. Peeta began to move himself a bit closer to me and we were touching. Our lips were pressed firmly against eachothers and the things I felt running through me were impossible. I wrapped myself tightly against him as he slowly leaned backwards and I was on top of him, we were kissing, barely stopping to breathe and it felt so good and I thought that maybe its possible that I love Peeta the same way he loves me.

Lost in eachother, as what happens when you have your first kiss with a guy like Peeta, I barely registered the opening and then slamming of the bedroom door. When I did though, I jumped up in surprise and looked at Peeta.

"What was that?" I asked confused and with a shake of his head and the shrug of his shoulders, I ran out the room to see who had caught us kissing. Gale was just leaving the front door when I got to the kitchen.

Peeta had chased after me when I had left so I looked back at him. He looked sad and I couldn't understand why.

"Its okay" I said to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and getting up on my tiptoes. "It was just Gale. He's probably really confused, he didn't know we were even friends, only that you gave me chocolate. When we go hunting this weekend I'll explain it to him." I said softly, smiling.

"Katniss, you don't know?" Peeta asked, frowning.

"Know what?" I asked,

"Gale feels the same was about you as I do." He said simply and his words crashed down.

It seems everything makes sense to you only after its too late for you to do anything about it. I never thought Gale had feelings for me and maybe it was stupid that I didn't. I'd never had feelings for any boy that way until now with Peeta and he must be mistaken because Gale and I are just friends. We are hunting buddies, nothing more. As im mulling this over in my head, my mom walks in, apparently not surprised to see Peeta in her kitchen, or just not caring, and comes over to me. "The interviews are showing in ten minutes, it's a mandatory viewing." She said.

"Okay mom, thanks." I responded, following my mother into our small living room with the old static-y television with Peeta close behind.

The interviews were horrendous as usual with Caesar's fake enthusiasm flowing out of every sentence he spoke. I spent most of the hour peeking swift glances at Peeta, my boyfriend if that's what he is now. Every time I looked his way, he look right back at me, smiling and giving my hand a squeeze. It made the interviews much more bearable.

He left after the showing that night at eight with another quick kiss and a promise to see eachother tomorrow. I was so new at this relationship stuff but it came natural with Peeta.

Seconds after he left, Prim bombarded me with questions to which I answered, simplifying the dynamics of it for her, for shes only twelve. Basically I just said we like spending time with eachother. I curled up to sleep with Prim and Buttercup, excited for tomorrow.


End file.
